NWS: High winds, strong rains to bear down on Hampton Roads Thursday

Courtesy of National Weather Service

The wind will combine with nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain could cause downed trees or tree limbs, the release said. The rain is expected to start falling around 7 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m.

The wind will combine with nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain could cause downed trees or tree limbs, the release said. The rain is expected to start falling around 7 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m. (Courtesy of National Weather Service)

While Hampton Roads shouldn’t expect any wintry weather, a rainstorm barreling toward the region could cause power outages and make the Thursday morning commute messy.

The National Weather Service at Wakefield has increased wind gust forecasts for Hampton Roads for winds as strong as 55 mph Thursday from 6 a.m. to noon, according to a National Weather Service news release.

“While we do not expect widespread severe wind, winds could be strong enough at times to cause some down trees and power outages,” National Weather Service Meteorologist-in-Charge Jeff Orrock wrote in an email.

The wind will combine with nearly three-quarters of an inch of rain and could cause downed trees or tree limbs, the release stated. The rain is expected to start falling around 7 a.m. and continue until 1 p.m.

Localized flooding could occur, but there is no expectation of widespread flooding or river flooding in the region, according to the release.

Dominion Energy customers can report power failures by calling 1-866-DOM-HELP or dominionenergy.com/outage-center/report-and-check-outages.

Roberts can be reached at 757-604-1329, by email at srobertsjr@vagazette.com and on Twitter @SPRobertsJr.